2011 is bound to be better than 2010

After a very problematic 2010, the greekhoteliers, are forecasting a better 2011. “Greece is now a competitive destination in relation to Turkey and other European destinations,” says Giorgos Tsakiris, president of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels. “Barring events that could turn people away, next year is bound to be better than 2010.”

Greek hotels managed to keep the number of visitors up during a very hard year, with great reductions in room prices. But that will not be enough for 2011. Hoteliers are asking a reduction in VAT for  tourism services, as it is shown that for 1 percent decline in the price, a 3 percent increase is expected in the number of visitors. More visitors ultimately mean more money for the central government as well, even with a lower vat income.

 

 

4th Greek Luxury tourism and Property Road Show in Moscow

The 4th Greek Luxury tourism and Property Road Show takes place in moscow, 13 March 2010. Visitors will have the option to book a private meeting with a consultant and get information about luxury tourism in greece. Greece expects many arrivals from russia each year, as a matter of fact the russian language has become the second most used language in greek tourism industry after the english.

International Cycling Tour of Kefalonia

The International Cycling Tour of Kefalonia will take place during 28 – 29 Mar 2009. The race begins in Argostoli on Sunday 28th and proceeds through Koutavos, Farsa, Myrtos, Saint Efimia, Sami, and Mount Ainos. It covers around 70 km of the amazing kefalonia  landscape and next to the blue waters of the Ionian sea. It is free for the public, while athletes from all around the world are welcome to participate.

Closing ceremony of Patras Carnival

The closing ceremony of patras carnival will take place on Sunday 1 Mar 2009 in the city Patras.

Festivites will last for 2-3 days, starting from friday night, saturday night with the great night parade and sunday morning with the main carnival parade. A city full of dancing people during these days, definetely constitutes a lifetime experience.

Patras carnival

Patras carnival is the largest carnival in greece and one of the largest world wide. The carnival begins on 17 of January each year and attracts tens of thousands visitosr. The carnival of Patras is a variety of events including the “Treasure Hunt”, the large parades in the final weekend of the carnival, balls (bourboulia), carnival of children and others.

Participants join groups, each with different costumes and slogans. All the groups (> 40.000 people) participate in the closing parades and the other festivities. “Keep dancing” is the slogan of patras carnival, and that’s what everybody does.

Patras

Patras is a port city located in the west Greece, in the Peloponnese peninsula. Patras port is a nodal point for trade and communication with Italy and the rest of Europe. Located 218 km west of Athens, it is regularly connected to athens and Eleytherios Venizelos Airport by train and buses. It is also connected by sea to the Ionian Islands and Italy ( Ancona, Venice, Bari, Brindisi ..) . The small araxos airport is located 50 km east of the city.Patras is famous for the Patras Carnival, the largest festival of its kind in Greece, and one of the largest in Europe.

26th Athens classic marathon

The 26th Athens Classic Marathon is an amateur race, starting from the city of Marathon and finishing in the Panathinaikon Stadium in Athens. There is a small fee for the athletes but everyone can join and try to finish the 42km race. The event will start on Sunday 9th of November at 9:00 am.

Plaka , Athens

Plaka is the most beautiful section of the city of Athens. Under the Parthenon and the Acropolis, in the heart of the city it has a long history. Most of the cafes and restaurants of Plaka have been around for decades, since Plaka was still the center of Athenian Nightlife. That is not the case today though. Plaka today is full of restaurants, cafe’s and tourist shops. It is located between the metro stations of Monastiraki and Attiki. A place of culture and beauty, it is the meeting spot of painters, musicians and writers. Apart from the hill of Acropolis, there are many archaeological sites like the Tower of the Winds, the Roman Agora and others. A visit to Plaka is the best way to get a feeling of the history of the city of Athens, from ancient times to this century.

Madonna live in athens

The concert of famous pop star Madonna in Athens, Greece attracted more than 100,000 visitors from greece and abroad during this weekend. The city (of 3.5 million people) was full. 500 hotels and 29.000 rooms hardly managed to accommodate the visitors while the transportation from and to Athens was problematic as well. Those problems aside, the concert in the Olympic stadium of Athens was a success, everybody was happy and hopefully Athens will host more shows like this in the future.

Athens

Athens is the capital of Greece and the largest city in the country. With more than 3.5 million in the metropolitan area, it’s the center of Greece economically and administratively. The international airport of Athens, Eleytherios Venizelos is the largest one in greece with 16.5 million passengers this year. The port of pireaus is also the largest port in the country and one of the most important ports in the mediterranean sea.

The city of Athens has many attractions for the visitor, the Acropolis with the Parthenon, Thiseion, Plaka, Monastiraki etc …  The city is a metropolis: noisy and ugly  most of the time, though with many beautiful spots and a vivid nightlife. If you travel to greece you will propably spend some time in athens during your trip: All -greek- roads lead to Athens.  And there is a catch. During August a large portion of the 3.5 million residents roam to the greek mainland and islands for their summer vacations. At that time, Athens becomes a peaceful, beautiful city full of ancient monuments, museums, galleries, festivals etc.